Rocky Mountain National Park is because of the outbreak of COVID-19. This comes after a request from the mayor of Estes Park, a nearby small town that is extremely dependent on the national park鈥檚 tourists. 

鈥淲e wouldn鈥檛 be able to handle the crowds in Estes Park, because of our limited resources, at this time,鈥� said Mayor Todd Jirsa.

Many, including Gov. Jared Polis, suggested hiking and other outdoor activity as a safe way to get out of the house. But in a letter sent to the Department of the Interior on Friday, Jirsa worried about the crowds he saw coming through the town to get to the national park.

鈥淭hat social distancing wasn鈥檛 really happening to the extent that it should have,鈥� he said.

He鈥檚 particularly worried about overwhelming the local healthcare system. A third of the town鈥檚 which means they鈥檙e at a higher risk for

鈥淭his is not the time. We will get back to a time when we can provide that exceptional guest experience,鈥� Jirsa said. 鈥淧lease come back and visit our town again, come back and visit the national park when we don鈥檛 have this virus and its concerns hanging over our heads.鈥�

Last week, Polis ordered casinos, hotels, restaurants and other businesses to close for 30 days. Within the same week, the Department of Public Health and the Environment , making the end date April 30. This has led to a surge in unemployment claims as business revenues take a hit.

In Estes Park, businesses aren鈥檛 as reliant on year-round sales. The town is very much a 鈥渢ourism economy.鈥�  This time of year usually represents a boost in sales because of spring break, but the real make-it or break-it season is summer.

鈥淚t could be worse. This could have been in July or August or September... it still may be,鈥� said Sean Jurgens, owner of the Quality Inn Estes Park. 鈥淚t hurts, but it could have been worse.鈥�

Jurgens is fairly confident he can keep his 10 full-time employees paid during the shutdown. If it gets extended again, he鈥檚 less sure. So, just in case, he has started the application process for the state鈥檚 which would allow his employees to get partial unemployment benefits if their hours have to be cut. Workers at the Bird & Jim restaurant and bar just nine minutes away are not as lucky.

If the 40 employees at Bird & Jim get any hours at all, they will be at a 鈥渇raction鈥� of full-time, co-owner John Whitmer said. 

The restaurant has switched to a delivery and on-site pickup business model to stay afloat during the shutdown, but the number of people needed and the hours of operation have both been greatly reduced.

Whitmer wants some government support for the losses his business incurs, which he expects to be at least $1 million. He also wants to see a state or federal safety net for his employees.

鈥淲e certainly plan for these types of problems in our business and we have a certain padding,鈥� he said.  鈥淏ut really our employees, you know, these are paid by the hour employees, a lot of them, unfortunately, they do live check to check.鈥�

The owners of Bird & Jim have found themselves wondering whether they should be open at all. They worry that even with all the precautions they have taken, the business still puts people at risk by bringing them in close contact with others.

鈥淭he bigger discussion is, how do we help our employees? And how do we help the community?鈥� Whitmer said. 鈥淒oes it help the community if we stay open?鈥�

Estes Park businesses are uniquely resilient because so much of their revenue comes from the summer tourism months. But in times like these, they鈥檙e counting on the kind of community support they saw after the 2013 flood that cut the town off from the outside world and damaged many storefronts, said Keith Pearson, executive director of the  Estes Chamber of Commerce Executive.

鈥淎fter that flood, all of the roads into Estes Park were closed. And so, we relied completely on the local consumer,鈥� Pearson said.

He said that experience, combined with some preparation for COVID-19 closures, put the town鈥檚 businesses in a better position to make it through this, though he does expect many lay-offs. He also knows many businesses will need loans from the federal Small Business Administration to make up for losses. Both Bird & Jim and Quality Inn Estes Park applied to the SBA the morning after the agency announced Coloradan businesses were .

鈥淚f we can contain this to the springtime, and it doesn鈥檛 have lingering effects as we go through the summer, then our businesses will be fine,鈥� he said.

Businesses may be fine, but nonprofits could take a hit at a time that they鈥檙e needed most.

鈥淎 healthy economy or the opposite of that impacts donor activity,鈥� said Laurie Dale Marshall. She鈥檚 executive director of the Estes Park Nonprofit Resource Center, which connects and supports community organizations throughout town.

Marshall says the nonprofit sector is collaborating with the town鈥檚 economic development corporation, government and local businesses to support Estes Park as much as possible. They鈥檙e especially interested in finding ways to get people who have lost jobs back into the workforce.

The state is bracing to take a hit in sales tax revenues, as are many local governments. Estes Park expected to take in more than $13 million in sales tax revenue this year, though Mayor Jirsa isn鈥檛 worried about losses.

鈥淲e鈥檙e sitting on a good fund balance and I鈥檓 not very concerned about that at this point,鈥� Jirsa said.

The town has been through difficult situations before, like the 2013 flood and wildfires, but he does admit, this is different.

鈥淭here's no real end in sight,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e dealing with this on a day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute basis.鈥�

For the time being, Jirsa鈥檚 largest concern is making sure the town鈥檚 citizens get through this all right. He expects the Board of Trustees to pass a measure giving people a grace period on their utility bills, to avoid shut-offs for those affected by the virus.